Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The Four Dirtiest Words Said In An Office

That's Not My Job

One of the file clerks responded with that when I asked her to help me find a document she'd filed that Nice Partner needed. I hadn't told her Nice Partner needed it. Just that I did. Her response was, "That's not my job." Then she proceeded to tell me I should look where the file was kept. Say it with me now, DUH. The file consists of about eight file drawers, all filled with badly labled (not by me) redwelds.

Funny how she sang a different tune twenty minutes later when she walked by and saw Nice Partner and I frantically looking through files to find what we needed. She pretended she'd come by to check on us and see if we needed help. Nice Partner wasn't fooled, but we were on such a tight deadline that he didn't care. Ultimately the document was found, stapled to something it didn't belong with. It was filed years before I started working here.

I have never said "It's not my job" at work. I used to say it all the time growing up, in my house. "Green, please empty the dishwasher." "That's not my job; it's Goldenboy's." Somehow, although I can see now how obnoxious it is, it still seems like a normal thing for a kid to say at home to a parent.

But this is work. I think if I were a manager and heard someone say that, I would strongly consider firing them. It's one thing to say "I'm in the middle of a huge project right now or I would, but the best person to help you with that is Joe Bloggs." But you NEVER EVER just blurt out that something is not your job. How does this woman not know this? Is this part of why she's still a file clerk?

Friend No. 2 is also a file clerk. (I've emotionally detached with success.) Ironically, even though she doesn't work on any of the files I work on, she is ALWAYS willing to help me find something when I need it. Had she been around to ask, I would have asked her for help.

The case these files belong to is going to trial soon. I think the files should be cleaned up and organized before then. It's not my job to do this, and I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid having to do it, because quite frankly, it would mean way too much time away from my desk. Even Nice Partner said it would take a paralegal about three days to accomplish.

But hell, if someone asks me for help with it, and I'm able to help, I will.

3 Comments:

I can't stand when people have that type of attitude, there are a lot of things we'd rather not do if given the choice at work, but just to be funky about it and say "It's not my job" is just real funky...